The 10 best ski resorts in Canada

The 10 Greatest Ski Resorts in Canada

Renowned Ski Journalist Peter Hardy reveals his top 10. Here’s what he says about:

Revelstoke, BC

Best for powder

Until 2008, Revelstoke attracted only a contrasting clientele of wealthy international heli-skiers and a scattering of locals, who frequented slopes served by one short lift. But then a world-class gondola and two fast chairlifts transformed it into a 1,214 hectares (3,000 acre) resort with the biggest vertical in North America (1,713m).

Revelstoke attracts huge amounts of powder snow – around 12m a year on average – and much of the terrain is steep and ungroomed. There are wonderful glades of trees and a big open bowl accessed through a cliff band – it’s essential to know the best ways in. The ski school offers half- and full-day private guiding – a must for any keen skier or snowboarder. The Steller quad chairlift accesses some beginner and intermediate terrain, giving the resort a family appeal that it previously lacked before.

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Revelstoke boasts some of the best snow in North America Credit: Russell Dalby/Getty

The resort also has its own snowcat and heliskiing operations for accessing untracked snow. For committed powder hounds, the great beauty of Revelstoke is that there’s no need to book a full heli package and risk expensive ‘down days’ when weather conditions prevent helicopters flying. Instead, the decision on whether to heliski, snowcat ski or simply ride the gondola to explore the ample terrain can be made each morning after looking out of the window.

A new slopeside 154-room hotel is currently nearing completion, across from the existing Sutton Place Hotel. It has three helipads outside the door and will become the new home of resort-owned Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing.

There’s also a choice of hotels including the new Basecamp Suites in the heart of unpretentious Revelstoke town, a five-minute drive away, served by a daytime bus service and with a fair choice of restaurants and bars.

Where to stay

British-owned Chalet Bighorn at the resort village has eight extremely large bedroom suites and consistently wins awards as the top luxury chalet in North America – the quality of service and cuisine is extraordinary. There is a spa with pool, gym, sauna and massage rooms, cinema, outdoor hot tub and private helipad. From C$90,000 (£49,700), booked direct. A less exotic alternative is to stay in the historic old town at the Basecamp Suites, from C$326 (£119) per night in a one-bedroom suite, booked direct.  Both exclude travel.

Read the full article here

The Best Luxury Ski Chalets in the World

The self-confessed ski industry experts at ‘We love 2 ski’ have put together their quintessential list of the very Best Luxury Ski Chalets in the World and we’re proud to say Bighorn features up there amongst la creme de la creme.

Felice Hardy says “We have chosen 50 of what we consider to be the most loveable ski chalets around. They’re not cheap but they’re certainly gorgeous”.  “At the top end of the luxury ski chalet market are some veritable piste palaces, offering all the opulence of a five-star hotel combined with the intimacy of a stylish private home.”

“Chalet Bighorn is in the little-known resort of Revelstoke in BC, Canada. The property has eight huge bedrooms, and the chef and lodge manager have worked in some of the most high-end chalets in the Alps (they now live in Revelstoke all year round). The chalet is the ultimate in skiing luxury and even has its own private helipad – useful for sampling the area’s fabulous heli-skiing.”

To read the article in full, click here

 

World’s 12 best places for heli-skiing

Revelstoke Mountain features in CNN’s list of the World’s top 12 heliski destinations. 
Why Revy?  Because it is “The epicenter of BC backcountry”.
“What happens when moist Pacific air meets cold, dry air from the Rockies? “Revy” cops the mother lode, that’s what — 40 to 60 feet a year of powder so light and fluffy it could be used to stuff a comforter.
If that isn’t enough, there’s Bighorn Lodge. This ultra-luxe alpine-style chalet for 16 overlooking the Columbia River at the foot of Revelstoke Mountain Resort has its own helipad out front.
Guests can choose from one of three heli operators — Canadian Mountain Holidays, Selkirk-Tangiers, Eagle Pass — and soar up to the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges.
They’ll need pockets as deep as the snow, but floating down open bowls gulping in white champagne, or whooping and hollering through old growth forests with just three pals and a guide is priceless.
Almost.”
To read the full article, please click here.

Taking the Piste: The Best Alpine Escapes

Bighorn features in The Rake’s pick of The Best Alpine Escapes:

 

AOBH O’BRIEN-MOODY reports:  “With ski season in full force, we present you with some of the best snowy weather retreats, guaranteed to take luxury to the next level”.

“There’s no questioning why Bighorn in Revelstoke, British Columbia is consistently lauded as the world’s best ski chalet. Designed to house a maximum of 16 guests, it represents the pinnacle of luxury, with eight ensuite bedrooms, a spa and indoor pool, two massage rooms, a games room, an outdoor hot tub and a state-of-the-art cinema. Perhaps the primary drawcard to Bighorn, however, is the heliskiing: fitted with its own private helipad, it brings the exhilarating sport to your doorstep. Experience miles of pristine powder free of other skiiers and lift lines before your pilot delivers you back in time for cocktail hour”.

To read the article in full, please click here.

 

 

 

 

Bring on the Pow!

Courtesy of Revelstoke Mountain Resort

 

Revelstoke is renowned for it’s legendary pow and last season was record breaking with over 12 metres of snowfall (a 10 year high!).  This season looks set to compete with that with nearly 7 metres already at the start of January, incredible conditions on and off the slopes and the season’s only just getting started!   This is what makes January skiing momentous – it’s a quiet time of year to ski (shh…don’t tell everyone!) and the pow is amazing!  With conditions like this, what more can we say?  Enough talking, let’s go skiing!

Forbes – 3 Dream Villas for a 2019 getaway

 

Forbes has listed Bighorn as one of three dream villas for a 2019 getaway, particularly in January.

We believe January is a great time of year to get away from it all for a few days, after the busy holiday season.  With shorter stay options available at Bighorn, there’s no reason not to start the new year as you mean to go on.

Forbes describes “Heli-skiing in British Columbia is the apex of sport and there’s no better place to base yourself for January powder than Bighorn”….. “A helicopter like an A 6 can deliver you to virgin snows free of other skiers, lift lines, rules, regulations, and subdivisions of trophy homes. You ski 1,500 or 2,000 vertical feet and the chopper is waiting for you at the bottom of the run. Repeat eight or nine times in a day. On a given day, a pilot can choose between hundreds of potential landing places, over an area of several hundred square miles. In terms of snow, nothing but nothing beats BC powder”.

To read the full article, click here

An evening with Chemmy Alcott: GB Olympic Skier

Last week, we were invited to spend the evening with the GB Olympic racer, Chemmy Alcott at the Ski Club of Great Britain’s new partner venue, the White Haus in London.  Hosted by James Orr Heliski and attended by members of the ski press as well as heli ski enthusiasts, it was another brilliant evening allowing us to talk all things skiing with fellow ski fanatics.

Chemmy, widely regarded as one of Great Britain’s best ever female skiers, has recently been speaking about sexism and the gender gap in skiing in the press and makes some interesting points about why there aren’t more women heliskiing.  She’s passionate about changing this and we couldn’t agree more!  Check out the article here.

At Bighorn, our trusted heliski operators CMH, EaglePass and Selkirk Tangiers are all highly professional and prioritise safety, as well as ensuring all our guests have the most amazing heliski days possible…guys and gals alike!  No sexism here, just a mutual respect, not just for the beautiful area we are privileged enough to ski in, but also for every single skier who wants to bring their game.

Snow Magazine votes Revelstoke in Top 10 Ski Resorts in the World

Revelstoke has once again been voted Top of the Top 10 Ski Resorts in the World by Snow Magazine.  Hotly contested by some readers that it is above Whistler in the ratings, but Snow Magazine stand by their choice – “we still love Reve, as it has the lot: steeps, trees, perfectly maintained pistes – all covered in tons of the legendary Powder Highway snow”.

Listed amongst other fabulous resorts such as St Anton, Telluride and Niseko, which all have their plus points, we of course, agree that Revelstoke has it all and here are some of the reasons why:

  • Powder – and not just any powder, the best champagne powder you can find anywhere in the World.
  • Bighorn – of course!    The award winning best ski chalet in Canada with it’s own private helipad.  What’s not to like?  Fly in and out of Bighorn in style.
  • Countless ski options:
    • Heliskiing:  Take advantage of your own private Helipad at Bighorn to discover the heliski mecca of the Monashees and Selkirk mountains.
    • Revelstoke Mountain Resort: With the highest Vertical Descent in North America and a plethora of offpiste skiing in diverse terrain, you won’t find it hard to get those fresh tracks.
    • CAT skiing:  Discover further exceptional  ski adventures in fresh powder backcountry.

Safe to say – we love Reve too!

Taking a GoPro Heliskiing? Our Tips for doing it like a Pro.

Skiing the Pow
Catching that shot

These days, on mountains all over the world, you can’t help noticing how many skiers and boarders have a GoPro attached to some part of their body.  We’ve become obsessed with digitally recording ourselves … and there’s nothing wrong with that as far as we’re concerned at Bighorn.  The breath taking vistas and snow conditions here at Revelstoke lend themselves perfectly to shooting incredible footage of your ski adventures.  So move over Warren Miller, here’s a few tips to ensure you actually record the memorable images you want (rather than a long bumpy video of your ski pants)!

  1. Where to mount the camera?

Helmet mounts:  a unique viewpoint from your own perspective – but make sure you mount it near the front (not on top).  Before you put it on your head, angle it down slightly.

Chest mounts:  work equally well for skiers, not so much for boarders as they are often standing sideways on, unless of course you just want to shoot your friends skiing.

Boot, board or ski mount:  provides a unique angle to show the view of the ski or board as it moves or you can invert it to show the skier.  The only issue is the adhesive doesn’t tend to last long in very snowy conditions and damage is more likely with it being so close to the ground.

Ideally to get the best varied footage, use a combination of the above.

  1. Filming your ski buddies? With the GoPro’s wide field of view, it’s best to get as close as possible to the action, ideally no more than a couple of metres away and aim the camera at the middle of the person, keeping their head to toe in shot.
  2. Which resolution? (i.e. the number of pixels). Whilst it’s tempting to go for the highest res, unless you really are planning on being the next Warren Miller, 720 is actually good enough for most computers and will save you memory space whilst making editing much easier.
  3. Anti-Fog Inserts. The conditions can be cold and humid on the BC terrain leading to a fogged lens.  GoPro has the answer with anti-fog inserts that protect your lens from fogging up.
  4. Battery Packs. Even if you fully charge your battery before you spend the day heliskiing, your charge may not last the entire day, so bring a spare battery pack or two.
  5. Get the GoPro App. It makes it really easy to control the settings and preview your amazing powpow shots from your phone.
  6. Do a test run with your trusty GoPro to check you’ve got it set up properly before your head off on one of the best powder descents you’ve ever done (speaking from experience!)
  7. Finally…sit back and relax at the end of the day with a well deserved drink in hand to watch your amazing powder adventures in HD in the Bighorn cinema.

…and cut! That’s a wrap, folks!

Elite Traveler Magazine

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Elite Traveler names its Top 10 Most Stylish chalets. Including exclusive lodges in Aspen and Lech, the list included Bighorn in Revelstoke for its luxury living and world class heliskiing. “Bighorn is a chic combination of triple height ceilings, hot tubs and techie toys, all situated in the heart of  some of the world’s best heliski terrain”. Check out the full list here